The United States has suspended all assistance to Somalia after alleging that Somali officials destroyed a U.S.-funded World Food Programme warehouse and seized 76 metric tonnes of donor food. The announcement, posted on a State Department social account, demands Somali accountability and remedial steps before aid might resume. The move comes amid a broader Trump administration posture that includes strengthened military, immigration, and enforcement actions related to Somalia. Somali authorities have not publicly responded to the allegations.
US Suspends All Aid to Somalia After Alleged Seizure of WFP Supplies
President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on January 4 [Alex Brandon/AP Photo]
The United States has announced a suspension of all assistance to the Federal Government of Somalia, alleging that Somali officials destroyed a U.S.-funded World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse and unlawfully seized food supplies intended for vulnerable people.
In a social media post on Wednesday, the account of the U.S. State Department's Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs and Religious Freedom said Somali officials had taken 76 metric tonnes of donor-funded food aid paid for by the United States.
"The US is deeply concerned by reports that Federal Government of Somalia officials have destroyed a US-funded World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse and illegally seized 76 metric tons of donor-funded food aid for vulnerable Somalis," the post said.
"The Trump Administration has a zero-tolerance policy for waste, theft, and diversion of life-saving assistance."
Somali authorities have not publicly responded to the U.S. allegation that aid was seized or to the claim that a WFP warehouse was destroyed.
The aid freeze is consistent with a broader shift in policy under President Donald Trump since his return to the White House in 2025. Recent months have seen increased public criticism of Somali communities in the United States, additional restrictions on Somali entry to the U.S., and stepped-up air strikes targeting armed groups inside Somalia.
During a December cabinet meeting, President Trump made harsh personal remarks about Somali Americans and singled out Representative Ilhan Omar, who arrived in the United States as a child refugee from Somalia. At that meeting he said, "We’re going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country," and referred to Ms. Omar and her associates with derogatory language.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later said denaturalisation — the revocation of U.S. citizenship — could be considered "a tool" against Somali Americans implicated in a fraud investigation in Minnesota, where some members of the Somali community have been charged.
The administration has also expanded immigration-enforcement activity in Minneapolis, the U.S. city with the largest Somali population.
Since returning to office in 2025, the administration has sharply reduced overall U.S. humanitarian assistance. It is not yet clear how many programs or what volume of aid will be affected by this suspension. By comparison, the previous U.S. administration under President Joe Biden provided roughly $770 million for projects in Somalia, with only a small portion delivered directly to the Somali federal government.
In its announcement the State Department left open the possibility of resuming aid, but tied any restoration of assistance to follow-up steps by Somalia.
"Any resumption of assistance will be dependent upon the Somali Federal Government taking accountability for its unacceptable actions and taking appropriate remedial steps," the department said.
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